Saint Joseph Catholic Church

Pope Leo XIV encouraged the bishops of Peru to follow the example of St. Toribio of Mogrovejo (1538-1606), to live in the manner of the Apostles, and to proclaim the Gospel in its entirety.

“The murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti—two U.S. citizens devoted to civic engagement and to caring for their immigrant neighbors—have left communities in Minneapolis and across the nation grieving, shaken, and rightly outraged,” the signatories wrote in their January 29 statement. “Their deaths are a profound moral failure, and they demand our collective attention and response.”

The signatories added:

We affirm the sacred worth of every human life. That commitment includes—and compels us to stand with—immigrants and others who are especially vulnerable in this moment. We condemn without reservation the use of indiscriminate and lethal force against civilians.

The actions we have witnessed in recent days represent a grave departure from our nation’s deepest moral commitments and from the values of human dignity, restraint, and accountability that our faith traditions uphold. When the power of the state is exercised without regard for life, justice, or the common good, the foundations of democracy itself are put at risk.

“Throughout this year, the cathedral will show, through important liturgical celebrations and cultural events, the rich spiritual heritage of that particular Church,” Pope Leo wrote in his message, dated December 19 and released today by the archdiocese. “In this regard, I would like to emphasize the value of the Hispano-Mozarabic liturgy that is celebrated daily.”

Pope Leo noted that the cathedral, in its eight centuries, has witnessed “the recovery of the Kingdom of Granada and the evangelization of the New World, events that have been recorded for history in the art of that cathedral.”